BY ANTONY MUTUNGA After years of trading shares with no physical trading floor, Kenya finally got a bourse when the London Stock Exchange (LSE) officials accepted to recognize the set-up of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) then known as the Nairobi Stock Market as an overseas stock exchange in 1953. Even though the bourse was used by the East African Community (EAC) – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – a majority of the listed public sector securities were from Kenya. For example, by 1968 the number of listed public sector securities stood at 66% whereby 45% were for the Kenyan government…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
Experts say that Kenya has possibly the most developed security market in East Africa. The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) is ranked fourth in economic size, behind Johannesburg (JSE), London (LSE) and Lagos (LSE). But why do we have alternative markets, like derivatives, in South Africa but not in Kenya? There was robust activity at the stock exchange with a number of companies listing at the market in the push for privatisation, especially in the 1980s. The most notable companies listed were Kenya Commercial Bank and National Bank of Kenya. Then there was a lull until the 2007 when Safaricom Initial…
By Victor Adar There is a debate going about why uptake of products of the Capital Market Authority has been low. It is the story of more of companies delisting rather than listing, a shift that could serve to discourage investment at the bourse. The fact that big corporates, including Bidco and Airtel, are not listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), more likely than not sends the message that things may not so rosy. Further, what’s keeping fresh companies from listing? Is it because of low profitability, or losses? Performance of the top 20, highlighted in the NSE 20…
BY NBM WRITER Discrimination is not a result of like or dislike. As Dr Claud Anderson observes, all forms of discrimination occur in the absence of economic empowerment. “To earn recognition, the black man must first achieve economic wellness. The surplus gained from creating wealth should then be invested in politics.” In his five stages of liberation, he doesn’t give much regard to voting as a source of citizen power, advocating, instead, for the buying of every politician of influence and ability to look out for the rights of the small man. “Wealth and political power deliver the integrity of…
By David Wanjala If you have never believed elections are rigged in Kenya, Thursday September 20 provided the perfect testimony. The vote in the National Assembly on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s austerity and tax proposals re-enacted the full scripts of most of our seasonal general elections, where losers are blatantly declared winners after results of peaceful voting are corrupted at the tail end of the process to the whims of a few officials entrusted with overseeing the exercise. Of fundamental importance, however, is how the media has been exposed by the events on the floor of the National Assembly, on the…
BY VICTOR ADAR They say that trade finance is all of domestic and international trade transactions, and that such a transaction requires not only a seller of goods and services but also a buyer. As always the case, agents such as banks can facilitate these transactions by way of financing the trade. Credit Bank PLC is one financial institution that has for the last two years focused on creating trade finance solutions for businesses and especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Stating variously that its vision is “to be the most respected financial institution in our target market”, the Bank’s…
Banking performance for first half of the year paints a bright picture for KCB Group, which has retained its top position since 2016, as the most attractive bank in Kenya according to Cytonn Investments Report. This is attributed to a strong franchise and intrinsic value scores. The franchise score measures the broad and comprehensive business strength of a bank across 13 different metrics, while the intrinsic score measures the investment return potential. Housing Finance Group though, ranked lowest overall, ranking last in the franchise value score. Ian Kagiri, an investment analyst at Cytonn Investments said that the Kenyan banking sector…
BY KOSTA KIOLEOGLOU Over the last 18 months, many people believed that the only reason the real estate market was slowing down was the election period and the wait and see attitude of buyers and investors. A year has passed since, it is also nine months since the ‘hand shake’, which officially marked the end of the election period and reality is presenting a different version of the story. This might not be the one that desperate property investors would like to hear but it seems that it is the one that applies. Real estate market in Kenya is not…
The Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with Robert Bosch Stiftung, announced last month the beginning of NEF Africa Science Week in 35 African countries throughout the months of October and December 2018. NEF Africa Science Week are led by NEF Ambassadors, local science and technology champions, together with support of local academic, public and private sector stakeholders and sponsors, who organize three to seven days of events in their countries to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). “Last year, we had Africa Science Week in 13 countries. We’ve…
In May this year, Polycarp Igathe raised a storm when he resigned as Nairobi Deputy Governor barely six months into office saying he had failed to gain the much-needed trust from Governor Mike Mbuvi. Polycarp is now managing director of tier one lender Equity Bank Kenya. Having joined the bank just five months ago, as the chief operating officer, Mr Igathe is proof that quitting a job can be cool after all – his came after a short stint in politics. He was named in a process where the financial institution is separating the management of its subsidiaries from the…